


Between Us Girls

by turtleeden



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Meeting the Parents, Original Parent Character(s) - Freeform, Post-Canon, Post-Game Adventures, Sort Of, but it's fun to play with mama joker again, like mother like son rip ann, more like chatting with the parent really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 17:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20679377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtleeden/pseuds/turtleeden
Summary: After waking up in the hours of the early morning, Ann decides to get something to drink. She initially comes down to her boyfriend's kitchen for a glass of water, but she was definitely not expecting to have a heart to heart with her boyfriend's mother while she was down there.





	Between Us Girls

Sometimes Ann felt weird when she finds that she woke up before Akira did.

It was unsurprising to think that way, of course. Between the two of them, Akira’s the one who tends to wake up earlier than she does. He may be more of a night owl at heart, but Ann was less of a morning person than he was. She would be more than happy to sleep in and lay in bed if she didn’t have anything to do that day. And if she can get Akira to laze about with her? That’s makes it even better.

But today, Ann found herself waking up at the early hours of the morning. One little peek at the window told her that the sun wasn’t even out yet.

Weird.

Ann then turned her head towards Akira, who was still sleeping soundly beside her. She smiled to herself as she watched Akira’s peaceful expression. He was hardly making a stir or a twitch as he slept. His arms were wrapped loosely around Ann’s body, a clear show of the two of them cuddling before they eventually fell asleep. Even though his hug loosened around her during his sleep, he still held her close to him. He looked completely relaxed, with not a frown upon his face nor a showing of gritted teeth. He was completely at ease, and his undisturbed state told Ann that he was still out like a light.

Ann couldn’t help but giggle softly to herself. Akira really did look cute when he sleeps.

But eventually, after watching him sleep for a little while, Ann found that there was a small problem here in this scenario: she woke up in the ungodly hours of the morning and she couldn’t get back to sleep! Unbelievable.

_‘Maybe I could sneak around the kitchen and get some water or something…’_ Ann thought to herself. Akira’s parents were gracious enough to let Ann help herself to some drinks while she was here visiting him. And with that in mind, getting some water seemed like a more appealing option by the second. She just needed to keep it quiet since it was still early in the morning. The last thing that Ann needed to do was literally waking up the entire house just because she slipped on accident or something. She would never live it down if that happened.

But she was going to do it! She already had her mind set, so there was no turning back now.

Ann leaned close for a moment just so she could plant a light kiss against Akira’s forehead. She then drew away and carefully gets out of the bed, away from the safety of his arms and the warmth of the covers. Even when she did all of that, Akira didn’t stir at all. His arm slumped some when Ann moved and got up from bed, but other than that, he was still sound asleep.

“I’ll be right back.” she whispered to the slumbering Akira, before she tiptoed to his bedroom door and left the room.

Ann tried her best to be quiet as she walked down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen. The Kurusu household was still very quiet at this hour. The only sounds that could be heard were the tickings of a nearby clock that was placed in the hallway. The silence unnerved Ann a little, but she powered through it. After all, she wasn’t planning to stay down there for long. She was only going to get herself a cup of water, drink it, and then go back to bed. And hopefully she would be able to sneak in a few more hours of sleep! It wasn’t fun getting up in the early hours of the morning!

With curiosity briefly taking a hold of her, Ann peeked around the living room to see a slumbering Morgana peacefully curled up on a little cat’s bed that was sitting near the houseplant. She smiled at the sight of him sleeping. Since Ann was visiting Akira for a few weeks during summer vacation, Morgana opted to sleep in the living room with his new and comfy little bed that the family bought for him. Ann wouldn’t have minded Morgana sleeping in Akira’s room with the two of them, but… given how she and Akira could hardly keep their hands off each other at night, it was probably a smart move on Morgana’s part to stay down here. At least he looked comfortable sleeping there. That helped put Ann’s mind at ease.

She then turned away from the living room and faced her true objective. Finally… the kitchen. Ann’s destination was in sight. She walked inside the kitchen and headed towards the counters to take out a glass. She then reached into the refrigerator to get a pitcher of cold water so that she could pour it into the glass. As Ann made her glass of water, she couldn’t help but notice a faint light coming from one of the rooms nearby.

“Wait… is someone else down here?” she wondered to herself. With her glass in hand, Ann slowly tiptoed through the kitchen and peeked around the corner where she saw the light. If Ann stayed quiet long enough, she could hear the faint humming of a machine turning on and eventually going off. Confused, she drew closer to the source so that she could have a better look. And just when Ann did that, someone spoke up, breaking the still silence.

“I was wondering who was creeping down here at this hour.”

“Oh...!”

Ann jumped a little when she heard that voice, but she turned her head slightly to see the sight of Akira’s mother sitting at a table in the next room. Akane Kurusu had a number of clothes sitting on her lap, and the machine that was sitting on the table looked to be a sewing machine, as far as Ann could tell. The soft humming sound must have came from Akane sewing those clothes. From the looks of things, it seems that Akane has been down here for a while. She hardly looked sleepy at all.

“K-Kurusu-san! I-I mean, Akane-san! U-Uh…” Ann stammered, practically clutching at her glass of water for dear life. Crap… she still didn’t know what to call Akane. It wasn’t like how it was with Boss, where you could just call him ‘Boss’. When you’re talking to your boyfriend’s mother, you’re supposed to be polite, right? 

“I’m surprised. You woke up pretty early, dear.” Akane mentioned.

“I-I know… I usually don’t, but… you know...” Ann began weakly. At the very least, she should try to explain herself. “I-I was just… getting some water! Yeah, I woke up and got thirsty. I’m gonna go back upstairs soon though, so I’m so sorry to bother you.”

“No worries. You’re not bothering me, Ann-chan. Honestly, for a minute I almost thought you were my husband with how quiet you were, but then again… he always sleeps like a rock. I should know better,” Akane mused, smiling to herself. She then takes a moment to rearrange the shirt that she was sewing before, intending to work on another section. “Well, you’re always free to a drink and a seat, so drink up and make yourself comfortable. It’s better than standing there slackjawed.”

“Um, right! Thanks.” Ann thanked. At Akane’s invitation, Ann took a seat at the table across from Akane and her sewing machine. As Ann took her sips of water, she quietly watched Akane work as she carefully sewed up the ruffled shirt she was working on previously. Ann was curious as to why she was doing this so early in the morning, and talking was better than sitting in silence with frazzled nerves, so she decided to go for it.

“What’s the sewing machine for, Akane-san?” she asked.

“Just for making a few touch-ups for a costume I’m repairing,” Akane answered. “I hardly get a chance to focus on the particulars at work… so making some touch-ups at home is the perfect thing for me. Shame about the early hour though, but it doesn’t bother me much.”

“Oh…” Ah, that’s right. Akira mentioned that she worked with costumes at a fitting shop. That explains the sewing materials that were on the table… including the sewing machine. “What’s the costume for, then?”

“A middle school drama club,” Akane answered easily. “They wanted to get some repairs done before fall semester starts up again. These poor things have definitely seen better days, so… it’s taking some work to get it looking like new. I mean, a good chunk of these clothes haven’t even been washed before it came to the shop.”

“What?! Ew…” Ann grimaced.

“Mm… Like I said, better days.” 

Akane sighed as she looked over the shirt that she was working on, checking to see if there was anything else she needed to work on. Seeing that everything looked to be in order, she then folded the shirt neatly and put it on the empty seat that was beside her. With nothing in front of her at the moment, Akane looked over at Ann and smiled. 

“Actually, Ann-chan… if you’re not too tired, care to stay and chat with me for a bit?” she asked.

Ann practically choked on her water when Akane asked that. It was a miracle that she didn’t do a spittake. “H-Huh? With me?” she coughed.

“Why not? You’re my guest, and my boy’s girlfriend on top of that. Akira talks about you a lot, you know.” Akane mentioned. “So… while you’re still here visiting, I was hoping to get a chance to talk and get to know you. A nice conversation between us girls. We won’t even tell the boys.”

Ann couldn’t help but blush a little at the sound of that. This is… not something that she was expecting to happen when she came down here for a glass of water. But a chance to get to know Akira’s mother face to face... This day had to come sooner or later. 

“Really? That’s… I’d be happy to! I wouldn’t know where to start, though…” Ann said.

“Well then, let’s start simple,” Akane responded. “For starters… when’s your birthday?”

“Oh, it’s in November!” Ann answered easily. “On the 12th, to be exact.”

“A Scorpio baby, hm?” Akane hummed, before moving on to her next question. “And you live in Tokyo, right? Have you lived anywhere else?”

“Uh, yeah! I lived in lots of places thanks to my parents’ job.” Ann answered. “I’ve lived in Finland, England, France, Italy, Canada… a lot of places. When I moved back here for middle school, I was coming from America.”

“Well… You’re well traveled for your age, Ann-chan. Lots of people my age haven’t even seen the other side of the country before, much less traveled out of it.” Akane pointed out. “And in so many different places too… your folks must have busy jobs to be traveling that much.”

“...That’s true.” Ann replied, though her response was a bit half-hearted. “What about you?”

“Me? Hah! No. I’m nowhere near as exciting.” Akane laughed, shaking her head. “Farthest I’ve ever gone is from Nagoya to here.”

“That’s still pretty far though…” Ann said, a sweat forming on her brow.

“I suppose. It’s not nearly as much fun in hindsight.” Akane replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Then again, it was a drastic change for me at the time. So while it’s not as fun as traveling out of the country, it’s very significant in its own way.”

“Whoa…” Ann was a little stunned. From the way she spoke of it, she could sense that there was more to the move than what Akane was letting on. While she definitely was curious about it, she ultimately thought that it was a question for another day.

“Alright then, enough about me.” Akane said, moving on with ease. “You got a favorite food?”

“Haha… Do sweets count?” Ann answered, laughing nervously.

“‘Course it does. My husband may not agree, but he’s not here, is he?” Akane laughed, waving her hand off nonchalantly. “So...?”

Hearing that blessing made Ann’s face light up. “I’ve got so many! I love crepes, for one! They’re sooooo good! I go to this crepe stand in Shibuya that stuffs their crepes with so much cream and strawberries and chocolate -- oh my god it’s to die for! And you can never go wrong with cakes! I have so many favorite kinds! There’s strawberry cheesecake, red velvet, chocolate cake… _red velvet chocolate cake with strawberries on it…_”

“Whoa! Slow down, Ann-chan! I get the picture.” Akane interrupted suddenly, sweating a bit. “You’ve got a mad sweet tooth, huh?”

“Hehe… yeah,” Ann said, scratching her cheek sheepishly. “I do try to work off the calories though! It’s hard work when I’ve gotta do it, but I make sure that I do it.”

“I see…” Akane hummed, nodding to herself. “Okay, Ann-chan. Last simple question.”

“Yeah?” Ann asked.

“Between you and Akira… who said ‘I love you’ first?”

Ann nearly choked on her water again when she heard that. “That’s a simple question!?” she coughed, her blush deepening.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad, can it?” Akane prodded innocently, with a curious look to her eye.

“N-No! It’s just… unexpected, coming from you. I mean, _you’re my boyfriend’s mother!_” she exclaimed. That last question definitely caught her off guard. How did Akane manage to sneak that kind of question in there after all those other questions she asked? And she asked that so casually too! Ann had a feeling that she just found out where Akira gets his devilish tendencies from. 

“But… to be honest…” A fond smile eventually formed upon her lips as Ann recalled that day on the rooftop… the day they confessed. “...I did.”

“Oh…?”

“It happened really fast. I blurted it out right after Akira…” Ann then stopped and paused for a moment, wondering if that was a good starting point to tell the story. There was a lot to tell, and she didn’t know if it was alright to blurt out every single detail to Akane. But then again, she didn’t have to explain the whole thing… she just simply needed a little context. With that in mind, Ann shook her head, and then started over again. This time, with the intention of painting a better picture of that moment. 

“My best friend… had to move away with her family last year. So me, her and Akira made it to our school rooftop together for one last meetup. I wanted someone else to be there as my friend since I knew I’d be a wreck saying goodbye to Shiho, so that’s why Akira was there. He was there trying to support me... After she left, I cried and cried… I couldn’t even stop, even when I tried to.”

“....”

“While I was crying, Akira… put his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I still remember how strong his arms were and how tight he was holding me. He felt so warm… and it made me feel so safe to be in his arms. On top of that, I still remember what he said to me then. He said… ‘You have me.’ And everything just… clicked in my head. Like… everything that I felt towards him ever since we’ve met, like trusting him with my feelings, the both of us having each other’s back, me always talking about how kind he was, and how much fun we had hanging out together… Looking back, it was the most obvious thing in the world and I just realized it at that moment! So when my crying slowed down… I said ‘I love you.’”

“Aww…”

“I freaked out right after that. I mean, I meant what I said, but I couldn’t believe I just blurted that out…! On top of that, he heard me! I couldn’t back out after that, so I stood my ground and said it again. Louder. I practically yelled out ‘I love you’ so loud that I felt like all of Tokyo could hear me. It was so embarrassing… but he just hugged me again. He held me so tight, it surprised me… but I didn’t want to let him go either. I realized that he felt the same way I did… and when the shock finally died down, I was just so happy. I was in love with this amazing guy… and he loved me back all this time.”

“That’s so precious.” Akane mused with a warm smile.

“...I still feel that way, even now. Akira really is an amazing person.” Ann continued, twirling a strand of her hair in her bashfulness. “Even if we would have never gotten together, I’m so glad I met him… I don’t know where I would be if we never met. I wouldn’t have realized my passion, and I would’ve never been true to myself. I would’ve just been so unhappy… I’ve been judged by my looks for so long that I hardly met anybody that saw me for me, and loved me for that. He’s one of the few people who saw that in me from the very start, and showed that it was okay to be me. I haven’t felt that way since I met my best friend in middle school. I just… I love him so much...”

“So he means that much to you…” Akane trailed off, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. “At least I know now that the feeling is mutual.”

“Huh…?” Ann questioned, blinking.

“I mentioned before that Akira talks about you a lot, didn’t I?” Akane began. As she spoke, she propped up her elbows on the table and then rested her chin on top of her folded hands. “Since he came back home, he talks about the friends he’s made in Tokyo countless times. And somehow, when he talks about that long enough, the conversation always ends up focusing on this amazing girl that he met in the city. He always talks about how passionate she is. He mentions how she always wears her heart on her sleeve, or that he admires her empathy, or that she never seems to run out of energy. And apparently she’s also a stunning beauty! He once said that the first time he ever saw her, he was completely stunned. She later stole his heart from under his nose and he didn’t even realize it.”

Ann’s blush deepened even more as she bashfully slumped in her seat. She wouldn’t even be surprised if her face was beet red by now. _Damn it, Akira._

“Yoshi and I were stunned. We’ve never seen Akira so hung up on anybody before! Not even when he was growing up! The most we’d see were some fleeting crushes that he would keep to himself. But hearing him talk about you… it was different. I recognized the look in his eyes when he talks about you, Ann-chan. It reminded me of how Yoshiaki looked at me when we first started dating… the look of a boy in love.”

“....”

“I was happy to meet all of you when you brought him home… the people who gave him a chance when no one else would. You all changed him just as much as he changed you, from what I was told. I was so relieved to know that after all that’s happened, Akira made so many good friends that changed his life. But little did I realize that there was a person among you all that especially made an impact in his life… You.”

_‘Damn it, don’t cry…’_ Ann cursed in her head as she tried to hold back her budding tears.

“Hearing Akira talk so much about you made me want to meet the girl that my son loves. I wanted to see for myself what makes this girl so special. Since you came to visit, I’ve had the pleasure of being around you and seeing you two lovebirds together. And thanks to having our little talk, I’m starting to see why he loves you so much. You have a good head on your shoulders, Ann-chan. You’re lively and bright, and really adorable when you get all excited. But most importantly, you have a big heart. That heart is what did him in, I see.”

“Akane-san…”

“With all that said, I guess I want to take the time to say thank you.” Akane finished, smiling warmly at Ann. “Thank you, Ann-chan… for loving my boy.”

“....” Ann could feel a tear running down her cheek as she sat there in her seat, stunned. Another tear soon followed, and before she knew it, Ann couldn’t hold her tears back anymore. She buried her face in her hands and cried, occasionally hiccupping as she wept. But despite her flooding tears, Ann was smiling. She smiled brightly as she wiped at her wet eyes and sniffed, completely relieved. She was crying so much that she didn’t notice that Akane was rising up from her seat and walking towards her. When Ann finally lifted her head, she was met with Akane wrapping her arms around her warmly. That caused Ann to automatically wrap her arms around Akane in return. Ann was crying and laughing all at once, and Akane didn’t let her go until she finally calmed down.

“Not quite the morning you expected, hm?” Akane then spoke, rubbing her hand against Ann’s back.

“Nope…” Ann laughed, wiping at her wet face. “But I’m kinda relieved. I mean, I’ve never even had a boyfriend before Akira. I had no idea what to do when meeting the parents!”

“Well, we can cross that off the list now.” Akane chuckled, parting from Ann just enough so she could wipe at Ann’s face herself. “Consider our little talk my approval.”

“Yeah…!” Ann nodded, keeping her bright smile.

“Good. Now, drink up. You’ll feel better.” Akane urged, gesturing her head towards Ann’s glass of water. There was still enough water in it to drink.

“Oh! Uh, right! I almost forgot I had that…” Ann gasped, before taking a quick gulp of her water.

“You could probably sleep a little easier now if you’re feeling drowsy,” Akane then suggested. “I’ve been wide awake for a while, but even I know what time it is right now.”

“Thanks, but… do you mind if we talk a little longer?” Ann then asked, with a spark of interest in her eyes. “I kinda like talking like this. And while I’m down here, I’d like to hear some of the stories that you have, Akane-san! I could even answer some other questions you have!”

“Oh? Are you prepared for that, Ann-chan?” Akane questioned, quirking a brow at her. “I’ve got a lot more up my sleeve, you know.”

“Trust me, I can talk about anything for _days._” Ann replied easily. “Give me your best shot.”

“...Good answer,” Akane praised, forming a wry smile. “First things first: I hear that you’re an up-and-coming model…”

\-----

When Akira woke up, he found out that he was sleeping alone.

He was expecting to see a slumbering Ann in his arms, but he felt nothing but air. When he opened his eyes, he didn’t see her laying beside him. Noticing this change got him to sit up from the bed and look around his room for her, but there was no Ann in sight.

“Huh. She woke up before me…” he muttered sleepily, before he stretched out his arms and rolled his neck around. That wasn’t what he was expecting at all. Maybe she got up early because she was hungry? That might be it. With that thought in mind, Akira calmly got up from his bed, straightening it some before he headed downstairs. When he came down the stairs though, he was met with laughter and chatter ringing throughout the halls, which made him raise a brow. 

One of those voices was Ann, of course. Akira can recognize her voice anywhere. But the other voice was… his mother?

“What the…?” he questioned. His curiosity rising, Akira walked towards the direction where he heard the two voices. What he found was his mother and his girlfriend talking up a storm in the dining room, with various costumes strewn all over his mother’s side of the table. What was all this?

“Oh. Look who’s up.” his mother mused with a smile. Ann turned around in her seat and smiled at the sight of Akira.

“Morning, you.” she greeted cheerfully.

“Morning,” he greeted back, flashing them a small grin. “What’s all this?”

“Just making some touch-ups and having some girl talk, nothing too special,” Akane answered casually. “Ann-chan was keeping me company while I work. It’s much better than just working down here by myself until daybreak.”

“Sounds like you two got close. I could hear you two from a mile away,” Akira observed. “Anything that I should know about?”

“Nope! Girls ears only.” Ann chimed.

“Nice try, dear.” Akane chuckled.

“...Are you kidding me?” Akira gawked in surprise. It was off-putting how… gung-ho the two of them were right now. Weirdly enough, he felt both happy and slightly scared at the same time. He was glad that Ann and his mother were getting along, but now there were _two_ forces in his life to be reckoned with, and he didn’t quite know how to feel about that right now.

“I guess I should think about feeding some mouths now, huh? That includes Morgana too,” Akane then stood up from her seat and started to walk towards the kitchen. Before she completely left the room, she stopped for a moment and took one last look at Akira and Ann. “Any special requests?”

“Nope! I’m cool with whatever.” Ann answered.

“We’re fine, Mom.” Akira replied.

“Alright then. Just give me a minute.” With that last statement, Akane disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Akira and Ann by themselves. Akira heaved a sigh as he moved to wrap his arms around Ann and plant a brief kiss on her forehead. Ann giggled as she leaned into him, enjoying their closeness.

“Sorry about leaving you alone up there,” Ann apologized. “I really was planning to come back after getting something to drink.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Akira assured, shaking his head. “So my mom held you up, huh?”

“Kinda, yeah. But it wasn’t bad at all! She’s awesome! I mean, I knew she was friendly, but it was so nice just talking to her,” Ann said, nodding enthusiastically. “And she approves, you know. Of us. That felt so good to hear… I never thought I’d feel so relieved after hearing her say that, but I am.”

“Good,” Akira replied, nodding firmly. 

“Now you just need to meet my folks now… if I can even get in touch with them again.” she mentioned, her lips thinning as she averted her gaze. Seeing Ann look so downtrodden made Akira frown a little, especially since he knew how she felt about her parents being gone. Just getting them and Akira in the same city would be a miracle to her, much less getting him to meet them face-to-face. But they didn’t need to worry about that now.

“We’ll tackle that bridge when we get to it,” Akira said calmly, shaking his head again. “But regardless of what anyone thinks, Ann… you’ll always have me. No matter what.”

Ann smiled warmly as she looked back up at him. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
